City of Rockingham looks set to ban feral and pet cats from 44 nature reserves

The City of Rockingham is seeking to enact sweeping bans within its reserves in a bid to control both feral and domestic cats.

The council originally tried to take action against cats with changes to local laws in 2021 but abandoned its plans after feedback from the Department of Local Government.

Scroll down to see if you’re in an impacted area

The city’s latest plan to tackle roaming cats would result in them banned from 44 nature reserves.

The changes would give rangers the power to trap any cat, domestic or feral, in the reserves and take appropriate action against them.

The city’s feral animal control program monitoring showed domestic and feral cats frequented these reserves and threatened native fauna, with domestic cat numbers about double those of feral cats.

The proposal to change the local laws and ban cats from reserves will go out for advertising and public comment before coming back to the council for approval.

Here are all 44 areas set to be hit with the ban:

1. Alf Powell Reserve
2. Anstey Q
3. Baldivis Children’s Forest
4. Baldivis Nature Reserve
5. Baldivis Tramway
6. Bordeaux Ramble
7. CUD Swamp
8. Dixon Road Conservation Precinct
9. Frank Browne Reserve Rockingham Golf Course
10. Golden Bay Foreshore
11. Hidden Swamp
12. Karnup Reserve School Site
13. Karnup Town Site
14. Kinsale Bend
15. Lake Richmond
16. Lark Hill Environmental Reserve
17. Lennox Reserve
18. Lewington Reserve
19. Mandurah Hill
20. Minderoo Reserve
21. Port Kennedy Foreshore
22. Rockingham/The Esplanade Foreshore
23. Sawley Close Nature Reserve
24. Secret Harbour Foreshore
25. Shoalwater/Safety Bay Foreshore
26. Singleton Foreshore
27. St Claire Foreshore
28. Tamworth Hill Swamp
29. Tamworth Reserve
30. Trenant Park Gardens
31. Tuart Park
32. Warnbro/Waikiki Foreshore
33. Woodleigh Grove
34. Anstey Swamp
35. Lake Cooloongup
36. Lake Walyungup
37. Mandurah-Singleton Border reserve
38. Paganoni Swamp
39. Point Peron
40. Port Kennedy Drive-Ennis Avenue Reserve
41. Port Kennedy Dune conservation reserve
42. Port Kennedy Scientific Park
43. Rockingham Lakes East
44. Tern Island